Animal chew formed of interwoven strips of edible resin

ABSTRACT

A woven chew toy for animals is provided including one or more of edible resins, such as rawhide, meat jerky, starch and combinations thereof in strip form interwoven together to provide a planar article.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to chew toys and a method of makingthereof which incorporate an edible resin by interweaving to form aplanar article. The chew toy may also be enriched with vitamins,minerals and/or herb additives to facilitate the delivery of suchingredients to the animal through the chewing process. In particular,the edible resin may include a starch based resin or a gluten-basedresin and/or meat jerky and/or rawhide. The edible resin and/or meatjerky may be interwoven with strips of rawhide to form a chew toy in thedescribed molding process.

BACKGROUND

It is well recognized that animals, such as dogs, have a natural desireto chew. Chewing may provide a number of benefits, including cleaningaction for teeth and exercise for gums. Chewing may also reduce thebacteria that may be present in an animal's mouth which may aid inreducing infections, kidney disease or heart disease. In addition,plaque and calculus, which are mineralized deposits of plaque formed onthe tooth surface, may be reduced by the abrasive action of chewing.Furthermore, by reducing bacteria, plaque and calculus, gum disease maybe decreased, reducing the incidence of bad breath.

A variety of pet chews have been developed to help satisfy the chewingneeds of animals. Pet chews have also been developed that may supplyvitamins and nutrients to pets, augmenting healthy feeding regimes.These chews may range in size, shape, materials and color. However,there is still a need to provide pet chews that satisfy both the chewingrequirements of a pet and augment nutritional feeding regimes.

SUMMARY

A chew toy for an animal, comprising a plurality of strips of one ormore edible resins which are interwoven into a planar article, wherein afirst plurality of strips are disposed in parallel fashion in a firstplane and are intersected by a second plurality of strips disposed inparallel fashion in a second plane and wherein said one or more of saidfirst plurality of strips passes alternately over and under one or moreof said second plurality of strips to form said article.

In method form, the present disclosure is directed at a method of makinga chew toy of interwoven strips of one or more of edible resins,comprising providing a first edible resin material and a second edibleresin material, providing at least a first extruder and a secondextruder, each of said first and second extruders having a plurality ofdies. This may be followed by charging the first material into the firstextruder and the second material into the second extruder and extrudingthe first material through the first plurality of dies and extruding thesecond material through the second plurality of dies to form a firstplurality of extrudates and a second plurality of extrudates. The firstplurality of extrudates are then configured in parallel fashion to eachother and the second plurality of extrudates are configured in parallelto each other and the first plurality of extrudates are disposed normalto the second plurality of extrudates and the first plurality ofextrudates are passed through said second plurality of extrudates inalternating fashion wherein one or more of said first plurality ofextrudates passes first over and then under the one or more of saidsecond plurality of extrudates to form a weave pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the present disclosure are set forth hereinby description of embodiments consistent with the present disclosure,which description should be considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of a first interwoven pet chewaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of a second interwoven pet chewaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of a third interwoven pet chewaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary embodiment of a fourth interwoven pet chewaccording to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is an exemplary embodiment of a fifth interwoven pet chewaccording to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Still other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, wherein it is shown and described preferred embodiments ofthe disclosure. As will be realized the disclosure is capable of otherand different embodiments, and its several details are capable ofmodification in various respects, without departing from the disclosure.Accordingly, the description is to be regarded as illustrative in natureand not as restrictive.

The present disclosure relates to a pet chew product which combines oneor more edible resins, such as starch, gluten, cellulose, rawhide andmeat jerky into a woven chew toy. The rawhide, jerky, starch, gluten,etc. may be in the form of strips and may be at least partially orcompletely interwoven together. In addition, the starch, gluten, etc.and/or jerky may be partially or fully retained by the rawhide. Therawhide may provide an abrasive or flossing action while the pet ischewing on the chew toy and the starch, gluten, etc. and/or jerky mayprovide nutritional supplementation. The strips may also be a blend ofrawhide with starch, gluten, etc. or a blend of jerky with starch,gluten, etc. which are interwoven.

“Strip” as used herein refers to an article having a length that isrelatively greater in size than the width or thickness of the article,for instance 5-100 times greater.

“Interwoven” as used herein refers to a product formed by combining aplurality of strips of materials by weaving the strips together to forma planar article wherein the strips alternate to form a surface of thearticle. Accordingly, one strip of a first material may first pass overa first strip of a second material and then under a second or third,etc. strip of the second material. A second strip of the first materialmay first pass under a first strip of a second material and then over asecond or third, etc. strip of the second material and so on to form aplanar article. With interweaving, as distinct from braiding, a firststrip engages a second strip only once, that is, the woven articlecomprises a first plurality of parallel strips which engage a secondplurality of parallel strips at a given angle.

“Planar article” as used herein refers to an article having a front anda back surface that are relatively greater in dimension than thethickness of the article, such as 8-20 times greater.

Rawhide

The rawhide may be obtained from the hide of an animal such as buffalo,sheep, goats, marsupial, pig, deer, elk, or cattle, and amounts to anedible resin herein. The hide may not be exposed to tanning and may bedevoid of all fur, meat and fat. Initially the hide may contain between60 to 80% by weight water and 20 to 40% by weight other substances suchas fibrous proteins, collagen, keratin, elastin and reticulin. Also,between 0.01 to 2% by weight ash may be present wherein the ash mayinclude phosphorous, potassium, sodium, arsenic, magnesium and calcium.

Generally, a hide may be prepared by any method known to those ofordinary skill in the art. One such exemplary method may includeremoving most of the visible fat and meat from the hide. Once the fatand meat is removed the hide may be treated in a solution of calciumcarbonate or calcium hydroxide, which may loosen and aid in the removalof hair. In addition, sodium sulfide, ammonium salts or enzymes may beadded to the solution. The hair may then be removed from the hide andthe hide may be rinsed. The hide may then be soaked in an aqueoussolution including organic acids, inorganic acids and/or acid salts,such as potassium hydrogen tartrate and sodium bicarbonate. The hide maybe rinsed again forming rawhide pieces, which may assume the shape ofsheets. The pieces of rawhide may be dried or further processed wet. Inaddition, the pieces may be soaked in a solution including hydrogenperoxide and chlorine. The sheets of rawhide may then be cut into stripsfor weaving.

In an exemplary embodiment, the rawhide may be provided as a rawhideresin composition, wherein the rawhide may be chopped or ground intosmall particles or powder. The particle size may be less than about 10mm, such as in the range of 0.001 to 10 mm, including all values andincrements therein. The rawhide moisture content may be adjusted toapproximately 1-20% by weight of the rawhide, including all incrementsand values therein, such at 8%, 10%, etc.

The rawhide may then be combined with up to 20% by weight of casein,such as in the range of about 0.1 to 20% by weight, including all valuesand increments therein. Casein may be understood as a phosphor-proteinof milk, wherein a phosphor-protein may be described as a group ofsubstances that are chemically bonded to a substance containingphosphoric acid. The rawhide may also be combined with gelatin up to 10%by weight, such as in the range of 0.1 to 10% by weight, including allvalues and increments therein. Gelatin may be understood as a proteinproduct produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen. In addition,attractants, such as flavorants, or nutrients may be compounded with therawhide.

The rawhide particles may be melt processed, wherein the particles areplasticated in a plasticating device. Suitable plasticating devices mayinclude injection molding machines, extruders (twin-screw, single screw,etc.) or any other device which may provide sufficientthermal-mechanical interaction to cause plastication, such as blenders.The temperature of the plasticating device may be sufficient to melt atleast 10% to 100% of the particles, including all values and incrementstherein and may be in the range of about 120 to 150° C., including allvalues and increments therein. In addition, the particles may bepressurized during plastication wherein the applied pressure may be inthe range of about 1 to 20 MPa, including all values and incrementstherein. For example, back pressure may be applied during injectionmolding.

Once plasticated, the rawhide may be formed to a desired shape, such asstrips, by an extruder die, an injection mold cavity, etc. It should beappreciated that the casein, gelatin and other additives, i.e.attractants, flavoring or nutrients, may be added to the rawhide priorto or during plastication. In addition, moisture may be removed from therawhide during plastication or after plastication. For example, theplastication device may be vented, such as by the use of vent ports inthe plastication device. After plastication, the moisture may be removedby drying, such as drying in an oven or tunnel.

Other Edible Resins

Edible resin may include any resin that may be consumed by an animal,such as, for instance, one or more of a starch, gluten, vegetable basedprotein, a carbohydrate or fat and mixtures thereof. Accordingly, anedible resin may contain a mixture of, e.g., starch, gluten,carbohydrate and/or a fat. For example, an edible resin may contain 25%(wt) starch, 25% (wt) gluten, 25% (wt) carbohydrate and 25% (wt) fat.However, any and all values of such components may be employed, whereinthe components may be present in any value or range at about 1-99% (wt).Accordingly, such an edible resin may contain 50% (wt) gluten, 25% (wt)starch, 15% (wt) carbohydrate and 10% (wt) fat. It may also contain 75%(wt) gluten, with the remaining 25% (wt) distributed over the otheridentified edible sources. Those skilled in the art will thereforeappreciate other potential values and ranges. Accordingly, any one ofthe ingredients (starch, gluten, vegetable based protein, fat) may bepresent as a major ingredient (50% (wt) or greater) and the othercomponents may be present at less than 50% (wt).

As alluded to above, such an edible resin may include any starch orcarbohydrate of natural or vegetable origin or gluten, such as wheatgluten. Exemplary starches may include amylose and/or amylopectin andmay be extracted from plants, including but not limited to potatoes,rice, tapioca, corn and cereals such as rye, wheat, and oats. The starchmay also be extracted from fruits, nuts and rhizomes, or arrowroot, guargum, locust bean, arracacha, buckwheat, banana, barley, cassaya, konjac,kudzu, oca, sago, sorghum, sweet potato, taro, yams, fava beans, lentilsand peas. The starch may be present in the resin composition betweenabout 30-99% including all increments and values therebetween such aslevels above about 50%, 85%, etc.

The starch employed herein may be raw starch, which may be understood asstarch that has not seen a prior thermal molding history, such asextrusion or other type of melt processing step where the resin isshaped in the presence of heat. The raw starch itself may also benative, which may be understood as unmodified starch recovered in theoriginal form by extraction and not physically or chemically modified.The raw starch may also be in powder form of varying particle size, asdescribed above, which may be understood as milled and/or pre-sifted. Itshould be understood that the raw starch may also have varying degreesof moisture present. In one embodiment, moisture may be present in theraw starch between 1-60%, including all increments and valuestherebetween such as 40%, 20%, 10%, etc. Accordingly, it should beappreciated that the term “direct” as used herein with respect tomolding refers to the molding of resin (e.g. starch) without the resinhaving been exposed to prior thermal molding histories before injectionmolding (such as the formation of pellets). However, the resin (e.g.starch) herein may, e.g., be heated for drying purposes, which would notamount to a prior thermal molding history.

Gluten may be understood as water-insoluble protein complex extractedfrom cereal grains such as maize or corn and wheat. Accordingly, thepresent disclosure contemplates the use of a wheat gluten materialeither as the base resin or in combination with another edible resin,such as starch. The gluten may be composed of gliadin and glutenin.Again, as noted above, gluten may be present in the resin compositionbetween about 1-99% including all increments and values therebetween,such as at levels above 50%.

The edible resin composition herein may be sourced from Manildra GroupUSA, under the following trade names: “GEMSTAR 100,” which is a refinedfood grade wheat starch; “GEMSTAR100+,” which is a refined food gradewheat starch; “GEM OF THE WEST VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN,” which is a powderproduct produced by low temperature drying of gluten extracted fromwheat flour; “ORGANIC GEM OF THE WEST VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN,” which is apowder product produced by low temperature drying of gluten extractedfrom organic wheat flour; “ORGANIC GEMSTAR 100,” which is a wheat starchextracted from organic wheat flour; and/or “ORGANIC GEMGEL 100,” whichis a pre-gelatinized organic wheat starch. In addition, the resincomposition may be sourced from ADM under the trade names “EDIGEL 100,”which is a wheat resin composition, and “AYTEX P,” which is anunmodified food grade wheat starch.

The edible resin (e.g. starch or gluten) may be of a controlled particlesize, and may have a controlled level of moisture, so that the resin maybe formed, upon exposure to one cycle of heat, into a desired shape,such as a strip. The resin may have a particle size distribution whereinall or a portion of the particles are less than about 2.0 millimeters(mm), or 2000 microns, including all ranges of particle size that may bebelow 2000 microns. For example, the resin particle size may be lessthan about 500 microns and any value or range between 500 microns and 1micron, including less than 250 microns, less than 149 microns, lessthan 44 microns, etc. In one embodiment, approximately greater than 95%of the particles are less than 149 microns and approximately greaterthan 60% of the particles are less than 44 microns. In anotherembodiment, approximately greater than 97% of the particles are lessthan 250 microns, and approximately greater than 75% of the particlesare less than 149 microns. The resin may also have a bulk density ofbetween 30-50 lb/cubic foot, including all values and rangestherebetween such as between 40-45 lb/cubic foot, 38-40 lb/cubic foot,35-38 lb/cubic foot, etc.

The resin may also include or be based upon cellulose. The cellulose maybe, for example, a long-chain polymer of polysaccharide carbohydrate.The cellulose may also be derived or extracted from plants. Thecellulose may be incorporated into the resin composition between about1-15% by weight of the resin composition and any increment or valuetherebetween including 4%, 10%, 11%, etc.

Emulsifiers or surfactants may also be incorporated into the resincomposition. The emulsifier may be present between about 1-10% by weightof the resin composition and all increments or values therebetweenincluding 3%, 4%, etc. The emulsifier may include, for example,lecithin, which may be extracted or derived from egg yolk or soy beans.

The resin composition may also include a plasticizer. The plasticizermay include for example, glycerin. The plasticizer may be incorporatedbetween about 15-30% by weight, including all increments and valuestherebetween such as levels greater than 15%, 21%, 27% etc.

A humectant may also be incorporated into the resin composition. Thehumectant may include, for example, oat fiber. The humectant may beincorporated between about 0.1-5% by weight of the resin compositionincluding all intervals and values therebetween, including 1%, 25%, etc.A humectant may be understood to be any additive that may absorb waterin the material.

The resin composition may also include water. The water may beintroduced into the composition between about 1-40% by weight of theresin composition and any increment or value therebetween, including 4%,20-40%, 10-20%, etc. After the strip has been formed, the water may bepresent between 1-20% by weight of the resin composition including allincrements or values therebetween, such as, below 20%, 4%, 5-10%, etc.

The resin composition may include a nutraceutical. The nutraceutical maybe fermented soya. Fermented soya nutraceuticals are available from BioFood, Ltd., Pine Brook, N.J. and sold under the general trademarkSoynatto®. The fermented soya may be present between about 1-40% byweight of the resin composition, including all increments and valuestherebetween, including 10%, 20%, etc. The Soynatto® product may provideproteins, minerals, and vitamins, in a fermented soy form. Thefermentation process may infuse the product with saccharomycescerevisiae, commonly known as “bakers yeast” or “brewers yeast.”Saccharomyces cerevisiae is more traditionally known to ferment sugarspresent in flour or dough, yielding carbon dioxide and alcohol.Accordingly, it should be appreciated that a protein, one or more of amineral, and one or more of a vitamin, along with saccharomycescerevisiae may be present in the resin composition.

The fermented soy product herein may also include increasedconcentrations of glycitein, daidzein and genistein, reportedly presentat several hundred percent more than other more common soyfood sources.Glycitein, daidzein and genistein belong to the isoflavone class offlavanoids and may be classified as phytoestrogen, since they are plantderived nonsteriodal compounds that contain estrogen-like biologicalactivity.

The resin composition may also include enzymes and/or co-enzymes whichare similarly available through Bio Foods, Ltd., Pine Brook, N.J. andsold under the trademark of BT-CoQ10®. This reportedly is a biologicallytransformed (fermented) cell mitochondrial coenzyme and containsCoenzyme Q10, antioxidants, phytonutrients and cofactor mineralnutrients and other cell constituents. The enzymes and/or co-enzymes maybe present between 0.1-10% by weight of the resin composition, includingall increments and values therebetween such as 1%, 5%, etc.

Reportedly, the coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble compound primarilysynthesized by the body and also consumed in the diet and is requiredfor mitochondrial ATP synthesis. The fermented coenzyme also reportedlybelongs to the family of compounds known as ubiquinones, which areeither of two isomeric cyclic crystalline compounds C₆H₄O₂ that aredi-keto derivatives of dihydro-benzene. It may also function as anantioxidant in cell membranes and lipoproteins.

Other additives may be introduced into the resin composition as well.These additives may include vegetable matter, fruit matter, rawhide,nuts, nut bits or nut flour such as peanut flour, and animal or fishproducts, by-products, meal or digests, etc. By animal digest it isunderstood to include a substance made by taking relatively clean andrelatively undecomposed animal tissue and breaking it down utilizingchemical or enzymatic hydrolysis. Preferably, the animal digest ishydrolyzed liver, e.g., hydrolyzed poultry liver. The animal digests maybe obtained from Applied Food Biotechnology Incorporated, O'Fallon, Mo.,and sold under the trade name Optimizor®. These additives may be presentindividually or cumulatively between about 0.1-50% by weight of theresin composition and all increments and values therebetween including0.1-5.0%, 15%, 25%, etc.

Additionally, flavorants, herbs, herbal extracts, vitamins, minerals,colorants, yeast products, soy products, attractants, etc., may beincorporated into the resin composition. Yeast products may includenutritional yeast or brewers yeast such as saccharomyces cerevisiae,dairy yeast such as kluyveromyce marxianus or wine yeast such assaccharomyces fermentati. The soy products may include fermented soy orother soy products, such as miso paste or tempeh. Attractants mayinclude compounds listed herein, such as the animal or fish digests, orother compounds that may increase an animal's interest in the resincomposition. These additives may be present individually or cumulativelybetween about 0.01-25% by weight of the resin composition and anyincrement or value therebetween including 0.01-0.5%, 10%, 20%, etc. Thecomposition may also include calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonatemay be present between about 5-10%.

The edible resin may be compounded by melt mixing or blending. Oncecompounded, the resin may be formed into a desired shape, such as astrip. It should be appreciated that the compounding and formingprocesses may occur in separate steps or at the same time. For example,the ingredients may be fed into an injection molding machine or into anextruder, mixed and plasticated through rotation of a screw and formedupon injection into a cavity or passage through an extruder die. Inanother embodiment, the ingredient may be fed into a twin screw extruderor a blender, compounded and formed through a die into the desiredshape. In a further embodiment, the ingredients may be compounded in ablender or mixer and then the compounded resin may be fed into a moldingmachine, wherein it is plasticated.

In addition, moisture, including water, may be removed from the resincomposition during processing. For example, a vented barrel may beprovided in an extruder or injection molding machine. The moisturecontent may also be reduced by introducing the strip or sheet into anoven, dryer, cooling tunnel, etc. However, it should be appreciated thatit may be desirable that the resin contain sufficient moisture to allowthe resin to be formed into and with the rawhide and then once formedboth the resin and rawhide may be dried.

Jerky

Jerky is a very popular form of meat product that may be stored for longperiods of time without refrigeration and amounts to another edibleresin. Meat is generally cut into thin strips with much of the fattrimmed off, then dried. Drying may take place in an oven at relativelylow heat so that the product is not cooked, or may be dried bysun-drying. Salt and a preservative may also be added as well as amarinade. By keeping the moisture content relatively low, spoilage maybe prevented as microorganism growth may be slowed, particularly ifstored in air tight packaging. Accordingly, a meat jerky herein may beunderstood as a meat that has been previously dried to a moisturecontent of less than about 40% (wt.), including all values andincrements in the range 0.1%-40% (wt.).

Many types of meat may be “jerked” including but not limited to chicken,beef, venison, lamb, fish (for instance, tuna and salmon), pork, turkey,duck, alligator, ostrich, buffalo, pheasant, rabbit, veal and elk.

Combining such jerky strips into animal chews and chew toys may providea greater variety of tasty experiences for pets. Generally, such meatproducts may be provided to add nutritional value and not justflavoring.

The meat jerky may be woven in strip form (pulled) or be combined withthe edible resin by melt processing as described below.

Edible Resins Blended with Jerky

Preferably, the edible resins may be selected from a material that iscapable of flow due to heat and which may be due to heating above anindicated glass transition temperature (Tg) or melting point (Tm). Inaddition, the resin may be one that provides a molecular weight and/ormelt viscosity that allows for the meat jerky (which may remain in arelatively solid particle form) to be relatively uniformly dispersed inthe resin during processing (e.g. extrusion or injection molding). Theresin may also have an identifiable repeating unit characteristic of apolymer rein.

Accordingly, the edible resin may be selected as noted above from thegroup consisting of starch, gluten, soy, rice, potato, casein, denaturedand partially hydrolyzed collagen, thermoplastic polymers and mixturesthereof, as noted above Thermoplastic polymers include polymers such aspolyamides and polyurethanes, as well as ethylene copolymers, such aspoly(ethylene acrylic acid) and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol).

By way of representative example, in the case of starch, e.g., theprocess herein may rely upon combining starch with water and a meatjerky to form a mixture such that the mixture is made suitable for meltprocessing using known plastic processing techniques. In that regard,attention is directed at commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,516, whoseteachings are incorporated by reference. The process herein maytherefore make use of such melt processing techniques and comprisescombining starch, meat jerky and water wherein the water content mayinitially be in the range of greater than about 25%, e.g. in the rangeof greater than 25% to about 40.0% by weight, introducing and heatingsaid mixture in an extruder wherein the water content of the extrudateupon discharge from said extruder is less than the water content of thecomposition entering said extruder, and cooling to form the resin/jerkystrip wherein the water content is at or below about 25% by weight.

According to the present disclosure, a meat jerky product, such aschicken, may be combined with the resin and water in the extruder andstill processed to form a moldable composition such as a strip.Furthermore, the meat jerky component may comprise about 1 to about 90%(wt) of the molded composition, including all values and incrementstherein. It is also contemplated that the jerky content will berelatively uniformly and homogenously distributed throughout the moldedcomposition. Toward such end, it is contemplated herein that the meatjerky may be present as a plurality of particles having a maximumaverage cross-sectional diameter of less than or equal to about 0.25inches including all values and increments therein. For example, themeat jerky particles may have a maximum average cross-sectional diameterof less than or equal to about 0.10 inches, or less than or equal toabout 0.005 inches, etc.

The meat jerky may also include a mixture of meat products (e.g. chickenand beef jerky). In such a situation the amount of each jerky componentmay be varied between 0.1-99%, including all values and incrementstherein.

Accordingly, in connection with the above preferred process, vitamins,minerals and/or herbs may be added with the starch and water prior toextrusion, or may optionally be combined with the starch at that pointwherein the starch is to be introduced into, e.g., the molding machinefor molding, along with the jerky. It is therefore worth noting that inthe context of the present disclosure, it has been appreciated that thevitamins, minerals and/or herb additives herein can be molded in thestarch/water mixture without substantial thermal degradation of suchadditives which degradation may attenuate or eliminate their therapeuticeffect. In the context of the present disclosure, it is thereforepreferable that at least some portion of the additives remainnon-degraded. Those skilled in the art will therefore recognize that inthe case of the additives herein, levels as low as 50 ppm would besuitable, including levels between about 50 ppm-1000 ppm, as well as allvalues and increments therein.

In addition to processing at such temperatures that additives may not besignificantly degraded, this process provides a means for providing astrip containing a meat product wherein the strip may have a controlledamount of moisture such that the strip may be stored, preferably in airtight packaging, for long periods of time without significant spoilage.This approach then allows such meat products and additives to bedistributed in a chew toy and in a preserved state such that theirnutritional or therapeutic value may be maintained.

Accordingly, by incorporating the aforementioned meat jerky andadditives in a resin/fluid (e.g., starch/water) combination, thedisclosure herein expands upon the use of water to promote melt mixingof such materials with the starch without significant thermaldegradation during plastication (softening for use in a melt-processingoperation) in either the extrusion or injection molding equipment. Thoseskilled in the art will therefore recognize that the amount of water canbe readily varied as may be necessary to allow for lower melt processingtemperatures to minimize thermal degradation and to provide a strip witha controlled amount of water. Preferably, however, the level of addedwater upon introduction to the extruder may be set at about 20-40% byweight with respect to that of the starch, which may emerge from theextruder at a level of about 15-20% water by weight, at which point theextrudate may be in condition for the step of interweaving. Followinginterweaving, the water level may be set to about 5-20% by weight, andmore preferably, 5-15%, and in a most preferred embodiment, the waterlevel of the strip (including the jerky) may be set to about 11-14%.

Preferably, the strips of the present disclosure contain one or more ofthose vitamins recommended for dogs by the American Association of FeedControl Officials (AAFCO). In the case of dogs, vitamins may comprise A,C, B₁₂, D, E, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin,pyridoxine, folic acid and choline. In the case of cats, the vitaminsmay comprise vitamins A, C, B₁₂ D, E, and K, thiamine, riboflavin,pyridoxine, niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin and choline.

In a preferred embodiment, the strips herein may contain vitaminsavailable in the nutraceutical of fermented soya which is made availablefrom Bio Foods, Ltd., Pine Brook, N.J. and sold under the generaltrademark SOYNATTO, and more specifically SOYNATTO F614 and F625.Preferably, the fermented soya may be present between 0.1-20% (wt.),including all incremental values therebetween with respect to suchranges. In addition, reference is made herein to U.S. Pat. No.7,332,188, entitled “Animal Chew Containing Fermented Soyfood” whoseteachings are incorporated herein by reference.

In addition, the strips of the present disclosure may also includeminerals. In the case of dogs, the preferred minerals are calcium,phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, copper,manganese, zinc, iodine, selenium. However, it is to be noted that othertrace minerals have been suggested, such as Co, Mo, Cd, As, Si, V, Ni,Pb and Sn. Furthermore, minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorousand magnesium may be required in gram amounts/day, whereas iron, zinc,copper, iodine, and selenium are only required in mg or μg/day. The chewtoy herein can therefore be modified to reflect a higher or lowerconcentration of a given mineral, according to nutritional requirements.

Turning next to the herbal component, the herbs may be selected from thegroup consisting of St. Johns Wort, Kava Kava, Ginkgo Biloba, Ginseng(Asian or Siberian varieties), Echinacea and mixtures thereof. Otherherbs include Catsclaw, Camomile, Golden Seal, Saw Palmetto, Valerina,V. Agnus-Castus, Black Cohosh, Bilberry and Milk Thistle. Herbs may alsoinclude aloe, astragalus, burdock, chestnut, coriolus, versicolor,couchgrass, crampbark, dandelion root, dong quai, elecampane, eveningprimrose, eyebright, false unicorm root, feverfew, garlic ginger,goldenseal, gota kola, grape seed extract, green tea, guggulipid,hawthorn, hops, ivy, licorice, milk thistle, mistletoe (American Asianand European varieties), motherwort, oats, osha, passion flower, pumpkinpygeum, red clover, rosemary, sarsaparilla, skullcap, saw palmetto,stinging nettle, wild indigo, wild yam and yerba mansa. In addition,glucosamines and/or chondroitin can be added to any of the embodimentsdescribed herein.

Turning next to a consideration of the incorporation of thevitamins/minerals and/or herb additives of the present disclosure, it ispreferable that such additives may be incorporated at the surface of thestrip, so that they are delivered to the animal prior to the animal'sinitial loss of interest in the chew toy at issue. In such regard, thepresent disclosure contemplates several methods to selectively locatesuch additives at the surface of the strip. First, such additives may beselectively concentrated at the surface by a post-molding operationwherein the additives are incorporated into a soaking solution and areallowed to coat and/or penetrate the strip or woven chew toy.Preferably, a water solution containing the vitamins/minerals and/orherbs may be employed.

Further, the present disclosure contemplates the process of co-injectionor insert molding, which allows multiple resins to be injected orextruded adjacent one another or in one mold to make a strip. In thatregard, a starch/jerky formulation without vitamins/minerals and/orherbs may serve as the core of the strip and a starch/jerky formulationwith said vitamins/minerals and/or herbs may serve as the outer moldedsurface. The thickness of either the core or surface layer can then bevaried according to any desired level.

With reference to such technique of co-injection, it can be appreciatedthat this uniquely allows for the injection molding of a resin (e.g.starch) outer layer with additives (vitamin, mineral, herb) underconditions wherein the water level may be higher than that of the coreof the strip. For example, the outer layer formulation may comprisewater levels, prior to injection molding of between 10-20%, preferably15-20%, wherein a starch/jerky mixture for the core is made to containwater levels that are lower than any level selected for the outer layer.This feature of co-injection may therefore provide the ability tocontrol a hardness gradient through the cross-section of the strip, witha relatively softer outer surface (e.g. lower Shore Hardness) to arelatively harder inner portion (e.g. higher Shore Hardness), or viceversa.

In one particularly preferred process of manufacturing the stripsherein, starch, meat jerky and water may be first combined wherein thewater content is in the range of 20 to about 40% by weight with respectto that of said starch/jerky. The mixture may be introduced into avented barrel extruder to form an extrudate which may be reduced in sizefor further processing, wherein the water content upon discharge fromthe extruder is less than the water content of said mixture entering theextruder. This extrudate may be in the form of a strip or a sheet whichmay be cut into strips.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the strips ofthe present disclosure, including one or more meat jerky materials, maybe formed by the direct injection molding of the meat jerky. The meatjerky may specifically be a meat jerky that has not been itself exposedto a prior thermal treatment for the purpose of providing a strip. Thatis, while the meat jerky may have been heated for drying purposes, andgranulated or pelletized, it may represent meat jerky herein that stillhas not been exposed to a heated/molding type environment that may befound in an extruder or injection molding type machine, and maytherefore be understood herein as virgin meat jerky. Accordingly, themeat jerky may again be such that it has an average diameter of lessthan or equal to about 0.25″, including all values and incrementstherein. In addition, for the direct injection molding contemplatedherein, the meat jerky may again be combined with resin and a fluid asnoted above. Accordingly, the meat jerky herein may be directlyinjection molded accordingly to the process disclosed in U.S.application Ser. No. 11/198/881, which is assigned to the assignee ofthe present invention and included by reference herein in its entirety.As may therefore be appreciated, the jerky, or the starch, water andjerky may be introduced directly into the barrel of an injection moldingmachine and mixed therein to form a composition, foregoing the need to,e.g. mix the ingredients in an extruder and formed into a strip.

One exemplary composition for direct injection molding of a molded stripmay comprise chicken jerky, cellulose/oat fiber, a plasticizer such asglycerin, an emulsifier such as lecithin, and optionally, additives suchas vitamins, minerals, omega fatty acids, and flavorants. A resin suchas starch may also be present at levels above about 50% (wt.) includingall values and increments between 50-99% (wt.). In addition, theplasticizer may be present at about 15% and the emulsifier at levelsabout 10%.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a mixture ofstarch, water and meat jerky may be introduced to a screw conveyor whichmay be heated. The screw conveyor, which may be an auger type conveyor,may therefore serve to further mix the base components and when heated,as applied to a mixture containing liquid, operates to increase thecomposition to an overall higher solids level, or stated another way, toa lower moisture level, in connection with those mixtures that containmoisture. It should be noted that the preferred screw/auger typeconveyor does not contain a die nor does it develop pressure within abarrel as in conventional extrusion. Furthermore, in the case of abinder that binds the base components in the absence of heat, the screwconveyor may redistribute the binder within the base components so thatmore effective binding may take place.

Accordingly, the output of the screw conveyor is then fed onto rollers,which may be temperature regulated, which rollers serve to form a sheetmaterial. In that regard, it can be appreciated that the output may beintroduced to two opposed rollers at the location of theircircumferential surfaces. As noted, the rollers may optionally be heatedor cooled, and each roller may be set to different temperatures andoptionally contain a polished or non-stick type surface. Depending uponthe spacing between the rollers, the sheet of material produced may beformed with a thickness that corresponds to the spacing between therollers. The rollers therefore serve to press the blended basecomponents into sheet form and the rollers may optionally be cooled tofacilitate such sheet formation. In addition, the rollers themselves mayoptionally contain grooves and ridges, such that the ridges of oneroller enter into the grooves of an opposing roller, thereby providing acavity to form a ribbon or strip of material. Therefore, the depth ofengagement of the ridge into the groove will itself allow one to selectthe desired thickness for a ribbon of material to be produced, andultimately cut the sheet into final shape. The material so formed of anyparticular desired thickness may be delivered to a thermo-regulatedchamber, preferably a tunnel, which partially or completely surroundsthe sheet or strips and which may provide uniform heating. Accordingly,after the mixture has been shaped and rough sized by the roll mill, theresulting sheet may be discharged from the roll mill onto a conveyorwhich feeds into the thermo-regulated chamber. Optionally, the conveyormay be chilled to assist in further cooling the sheet prior to furtherthermo-regulation.

Passing through the aforementioned temperature controlled tunnel maytherefore, among other things, serve to additionally harden thecomposition. In that context, the temperature of the tunnel may beadjusted depending upon the particular final solids level that one maydesire, as the temperature of the tunnel serves to further removeliquid, such as moisture, thereby adding to the rigidity of the sheet orstrips that are formed. Accordingly, the temperature of the tunnel andthe length of time in the tunnel can be conveniently adjusted, dependingupon the base components, and the desired moisture level one may wish toachieve in the strip. In addition, the tunnel may serve to providecooling for a given selective composition.

The next step of the process may involve cutting to a final desiredshape. This can be accomplished in several ways. First, with theobjective of forming an elongated strip, one can initially cut the sheetoutput along one axis such that the width of the bar is set. Then, asecond cutter can be employed to set the length. Alternatively, this maybe done in opposite order, or simultaneously. Suitable cutting andforming techniques may include water-jet cutting, hot knife, stamping,etc.

In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that it ispossible to mix denatured and partially hydrolyzed collagen with meatjerky and another resin, such as casein, starch, vegetable matter,comminuted rawhide, or a synthetic polymer resin, such as athermoplastic resin, including polyamides and or polyurethanes, as wellas ethylene copolymers, such as poly(ethylene acrylic acid) and/orpoly(ethylene vinyl alcohol). In such regard, the mixture has been foundto lend itself to melt processing under pressure, which includesextrusion, injection molding and/or compression molding techniques.Accordingly, one can prepare strips for weaving herein, comprising meatjerky and denatured and partially hydrolyzed collagen, as well as moldedstrips that combine such collagen with the various components notedabove.

Edible Resins Blended with Rawhide

The edible resin and rawhide may be compounded together by melt mixingor blending. Once compounded, the blend may be formed into a desiredshape, such as a sheet or strips. It should be appreciated that thecompounding and forming processes may occur in separate steps or at thesame time. For example, the ingredients may be fed into an injectionmolding machine or into an extruder, mixed and plasticated throughrotation of a screw and formed upon injection into a cavity or passagethrough an extruder die. In another embodiment, the ingredient may befed into a twin screw extruder or a blender, compounded and formedthrough a die into the strip shape. In a further embodiment, theingredients may be compounded in a blender or mixer and then thecompounded resin may be fed into a molding machine, wherein it isplasticated.

In addition, moisture, including water, may be removed from theresin/rawhide composition during processing. For example, a ventedbarrel may be provided in an extruder or injection molding machine. Themoisture content may also be reduced by introducing the strip into anoven, dryer, cooling tunnel, etc. However, it should be appreciated thatit may be desirable that the resin contain sufficient moisture to allowthe resin to be formed into and with the rawhide and then once formedboth the resin and rawhide may be dried.

In one exemplary embodiment, a starch composition and rawhide may beblended and extruded or injection molded together to form what may bedescribed as a composite strip. In this situation, the rawhide andedible resin may be present at respective levels of 1-99% (wt) and 99-1%(wt). In addition, the concentration of any of the above referencedadditives, such as the nutritional additives, may be varied as desiredto provide a desired level of nutritional supplementation. In oneexemplary embodiment, the starch and the rawhide resin composition maybe blended and injection molded or extruded together to form what may bedescribed as a composite strip. In this situation, the rawhide andstarch may be present at respective levels of 1-99% (wt) and 99-1% (wt).In addition, the concentration of any of the above referenced additives,such as the nutritional additives, may be varied as desired to provide adesired level of nutritional supplementation.

In addition, the starch composition may be molded, e.g. injection moldedor over extruded or over-molded directly onto rawhide to form a strip.In this manner it is contemplated that the starch composition may bemade to assume the shape of the rawhide as an outer layer which maypartially or complete surround the rawhide and/or cover the rawhide atany selected location

Such processes may be understood to include over-molding via injectionmolding. It should also be appreciated that in over-injection molding orover-extrusion the resins may be formed simultaneously or sequentially.

For an over-extruded strip, the first resin may be rawhide and a secondresin may be a starch composition as contemplated herein. The resin meltflows may be joined together in a single extruder die or the flows maybe joined once the resins have exited separate extruder dies. Inaddition, a first formed resin may be provided and the second resin maybe extruded over the first formed resin, as alluded to above. Onceagain, the first resin may be either a starch composition or rawhideresin and the second resin may be either a starch composition orrawhide.

In an exemplary embodiment, the strips of starch, gluten, rawhide,jerky, edible resin/jerky blend and/or edible resin/rawhide blend may beinterwoven into a chew toy for animals. It is contemplated that suchwoven chew toy may comprise any one or any combination of all of thecompositions of strips noted above. That is, the chew toy may be wovenof starch, gluten, etc. edible resins or of rawhide or of jerky or anycombination thereof.

FIG. 1 is a first exemplary embodiment of an interwoven pet chew 10according to the present disclosure, a plurality of strips of a firstmaterial 12, such as a starch or gluten edible resin as described hereinin strip form has been interwoven with a plurality of strips of a secondmaterial 14, such as strips of rawhide. In weaving fashion a strip ofthe first material 12 is alternately passed over and then under stripsof the second material 14 to form the woven chew. The plurality ofstrips of each material 12 (shown as having a stipple appearance forclarity) or 14 may run parallel to one another as they intersect withthe second material. Such intersection of a first plurality of strips 12and a second plurality of strips 14 may occur generally at right anglesto one another, the individual strips 12 alternately passing first overand then under one or more of the plurality of s trips 14.

While FIG. 1 illustrates a single strip intersecting the next singlestrip, it is contemplated that the weaving may take place with a pair ofstrips rather than a single strip that is, two strips alternatelypassing over and under two strips of a second material. The woven chewtoy 10 may also include points or regions of attachment 16 to provideintegrity to the chew 10. Such points or regions of attachment mayinclude single stitches, such as with rawhide thread or lacingpositioned at intersection points of the first and second material ormay include melting of one of the materials into the other, such as byheat staking, vibration welding, laser welding, etc. It is contemplatedthat the points or regions of attachment 16 may provide a bond strengthbetween contacting surfaces that is greater than the tensile strength ofthe strips 12 and/or 14. It is also contemplated that the bond strengthbetween contacting surfaces may be made to exceed only the tensilestrength of one of the strips 12 or 14, such that when chewed upon by ananimal, one of the strips may be selectively configured to be removedfrom the woven chew toy 10.

It is further contemplated that the interwoven chew troy of the presentdisclosure may be held together by the frictional characteristics of theindividual strips, particularly given the rather abrasive surface due tothe fibrous nature of the rawhide and its relative stiffness. It isfurther contemplated that the ends of the individual strips may bewrapped under the edges of the woven chew toy and attached thereto asdescribed above.

FIG. 2 is another exemplary embodiment of an interwoven pet chew 10Aaccording to the present disclosure, illustrating strips 12 and 18(shown as having a wavy surface for clarity) having different widthswhich are woven together. In this embodiment, a third material 18 suchas a meat jerky may be interwoven with a first material 12 to form awoven chew toy 10A.

The width of the strips 12, 14, 18 may be in the range of about 5 mm to50 mm, in any numerical increment, such as 1 mm increments. Forinstance, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm etc. Such width, as discussed herein,may serve as the width of the melt bonding that occurs between strips.In that regard, relatively high area bonding is achieved for a givenwoven chew herein. Furthermore, it may be advantageous in certaininterwoven chews to have some strips melted bonded at 16 and otherstrips that are not melt bonded where the strips overlap one another.

It is contemplated that the woven chew toy may have overall dimensionsof about 3-25 mm in thickness and between about 6 and 415 cm² in area.It is further contemplated that the number of strips running parallel ina plane may be from 2 to 100.

FIG. 2 also indicates an x-axis and a y-axis for the edges of the chewand while the strips for each plane run generally in parallel, thestrips may run at a diagonal to the axes or the edges, and at any angleα from 45-90°.

FIG. 3 is another exemplary embodiment of an interwoven pet chew 10Baccording to the present disclosure, illustrating the weaving of threematerials 12, 14, 18 at an angle to the main axes of the chew. As notedabove, it is contemplated that any one or more of strips of starch,gluten etc. edible resins and/or rawhide and/or jerky and/or resin/jerkyblend and/or edible resin/rawhide blend may be interwoven into a chewtoy for animals.

FIG. 4 is another exemplary embodiment of an interwoven pet chew 10Caccording to the present disclosure illustrating the second 14 and third18 materials of equal but intermediate width interwoven to form a chewtoy.

FIG. 5 is another exemplary embodiment of an interwoven pet chew 10Daccording to the present disclosure wherein the third material 18 isinterwoven with itself and such weave covers the sides of a secondmaterial 14. Accordingly, second material 14 may be selected and encasedin such a manner and configured to separately attract an animal orprovide a separate source of nutrition.

It is further contemplated that two woven chews may be attached togetherby interweaving the two chews as layers, the interweaving providing themechanism for attachment so that thicker chews may be provided.

The method for interweaving the strips of various compositions may bemanual wherein the strips are intersected by hand to form the chew ofthe desired size, alternating strips of a first material over and understrips of the same or a different material. Large sheets of theinterwoven strips may be formed and then cut to a desired size and shape(by die cutting, water jet cutting, laser, etc.) or the strips may bewoven to the desired size.

In another method, the starch, gluten, etc. compositions and the rawhideresin may be separately extruded and their extrudates woven together toform a chew before the resins harden, i.e. before the resins are dried.This may be done by employing multiple extruder dies in parallel (fromone or a plurality of extruders) for the starch, gluten, etc. resins,for instance, and configuring a second set of multiple dies and a secondextruder for the rawhide such that the extrudates from the second set ofdies may be alternately passed over and under the first set ofextrudates, preferably at an angle of 45 to 90°.

It should be appreciated that more than two strips may be used to formthe chew. In addition, in the case of multiple strands, any one or aplurality may be made of the for instance, starch, gluten, etc.compositions, and any one or a plurality may be made from rawhide, andany one or a plurality may be made from meat jerky.

The foregoing description is provided to illustrate and explain thepresent disclosure. However, the description hereinabove should not beconsidered to limit the scope of the disclosure set forth in the claimsappended here to.

1. A chew toy for an animal, comprising: a plurality of strips of one ormore edible resins which are interwoven into a planar article, wherein afirst plurality of strips are disposed in parallel fashion in a firstplane and are intersected by a second plurality of strips disposed inparallel fashion in a second plane and wherein said one or more of saidfirst plurality of strips passes alternately over and under one or moreof said second plurality of strips to form said article.
 2. The chew toyof claim 1 wherein said edible resin comprises rawhide, meat jerky,starch and combinations thereof.
 3. The chew toy of claim 1 wherein thechew toys includes edges and the first and the planes of intersectionare different from the edges of said toy.
 4. The chew toy of claim 2wherein said combinations comprise a melt blend of starch and rawhideand a melt blend of starch and meat jerky.
 5. The chew toy of claim 1wherein said chew includes moisture and said moisture is present atbelow 20% by weight of the chew.
 6. The chew toy of claim 1 wherein saidstrips are attached together at one or more of the intersections bysewing.
 7. The chew toy of claim 1 wherein said plurality of strips areattached together at one or more of the intersections by melting aportion of one of the plurality of strips.
 8. A method of making a chewtoy of interwoven strips of one or more of edible resins, comprising;providing a first edible resin material and a second edible resinmaterial; providing at least a first extruder and a second extruder,each of said first and second extruders having a plurality of dies;charging said first material into said first extruder and said secondmaterial into said second extruder; extruding said first materialthrough said first plurality of dies and extruding said second materialthrough said second plurality of dies to form a first plurality ofextrudates and a second plurality of extrudates, wherein said firstplurality of extrudates are configured in parallel fashion to each otherand said second plurality of extrudates are configured in parallel toeach other and the first plurality of extrudates are disposed normal tosaid second plurality of extrudates and said first plurality ofextrudates are passed through said second plurality of extrudates inalternating fashion wherein one or more of said first plurality ofextrudates passes first over and then under the one or more of saidsecond plurality of extrudates to form a weave pattern.
 9. The method ofclaim 8 wherein said first material and said second material are of thesame composition.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein said edible resincomprises one or more of rawhide, meat jerky, starch and combinationsthereof.